GX at WHA79: “Keep It Simple – No Mosquitoes, No Dengue”!

“Keep It Simple – No Mosquitoes, No Dengue”
Side Event at the 79th World Health Assembly

Date: Monday, 18 May 2026
Time: 12:00 – 15:00
Venue: Hall A, D, E at the InterContinental Geneva, Switzerland

Host: GX Foundation, Hong Kong, China

Supporting Organisation: Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention;
National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, People’s Republic of China

Programme:

• 12:00 – 12:45 Opening and luncheon reception
• 12:45 – 14:15 Presentation and panel discussion
• 14:15 – 14:30 Closing remarks

Background:

Dengue fever is endemic in more than 100 countries. During 2024–2025, the world experienced record-breaking outbreaks, with over 19.72 million reported cases and over 15,000 dengue-related deaths. Despite this, few existing dengue control guidelines critically examine or incorporate innovative, community-level interventions.

Since 2020, GX Foundation has successfully controlled dengue using low-cost, community-led physical measures across 10 countries on 4 continents. Our approach utilises five core tools:

1. Mosquito Lamps
2. Sticky Fly Traps
3. Bed Nets
4. Rapid Dengue Test Kits
5. Education and Awareness Materials

Research results from our projects in Timor-Leste and Honduras have been published in The Lancet – twice in 12 months (March 2025 and March 2026). These back‑to‑back publications confirm that our low‑tech, community‑led physical control strategy is proven, scalable, and well-suited for global application. In Honduras, our intervention helped reduce dengue cases by 82% within weeks of the peak and cut severe cases by 91%; in Timor‑Leste, dengue incidence dropped 10% while neighbouring countries saw 2–3 times increases.

Beyond hospitals and local communities, GX’s vector-borne disease control projects now cover airports, ports, highways, railways, and waterways, building resilience into critical infrastructure.

At this side event on 18 May, GX will present evidence‑based, cost‑effective solutions, share detailed field experiences, and offer practical insights from our physical dengue control methods.

GX Leadership Delegation:

Mr. LEUNG Chun-ying

Chairman of GX Foundation

Vice-Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference

Former Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Prof. CHAN Ying-yang, Emily

CEO of GX Foundation

Professor and Assistant Dean, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Prof. LI Kwok-cheung, Arthur

Member of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Former Vice-Chancellor and Former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Board Member of GX Foundation

Dr. KO Wing-man

Standing Committee Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference

Former Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Board Member of GX Foundation

Attendance

This independent side event is invitation‑only. If you are interested in attending, please visit our Contact Us page or email info@gxfoundation.hk to enquire about possible attendance.

References
1. Chan, E. Y. Y., Dubois, C., Chan, C. Y. A., & Leung, C. Y. (2025). Dengue virus epidemic: physical vector control success in Timor-Leste. Lancet (London, England), 405(10483), 977-978.
2. Chan EYY, Leung CY, Dubois C, Yung L, Huang Z. Safeguarding against dengue fever risks in a more connected world. Lancet. Epub ahead of print 2026.